Ivory stained in Crimson
by Avaline Lasaira
Summary: A story about the blossoming relationship between Murakami Chizuru, Niece of the Water Daimyō and Uchiha Itachi. They have a select couple of meetings that will influence their relationship for ever, starting at their first encounter in Kirigakure when they are both seven years old. (I made a character design for the OC, so look out for links in the file!) Itachi X OC.
1. Chapter 1: Where Onyx meets ivory Part 1

**First I'd like to say this is my first published story. Any reviews are very much appreciated.**

 **If I (like the summary stated) made a character design/illustration I will put the link on the top of the chapter. Maybe in the end I'll make a chapter especially to collect all of them.**

 **For now I have the character design of Chizuru when she is 7, and when she will be 10. Together with an illustration of her with Itachi.**

Chizuru 7 years old: avalinel/art/OC-7yearsold-758641246?ga_submit_new=10%3A1533838786

 _Chizuru and Itachi without background:_ avalinel/art/Chapter1-758640714

Family portrait Chizuru 4/5 years old: avalinel/art/New-Family-Final-758642682

* * *

 **Where Ivory meets Onyx**

Her ivory eyes where looking out of the window with a dreamy expression. Carefully she had balanced herself on the tips of her wooden sandals, so she could peek out of the window of the Mizukage's office. No, rather peek outside of his waiting room.

Today she was accompanying her uncle, the Water Daimyō, on his annual visit to Kirigakure. Naturally, she was taught a great deal of politics from her private tutor, but to actually see the hidden village was a special treat. Normally her days where rather busy and full, they allowed no room for loafing around. They existed out of being tutored in politics, playing the shamisen, learning history, practicing dancing, flower arrangements and calligraphy. She even had to learn the many ways of holding a tea ceremony and how to perform them perfectly. To visit a village full of shinobi was certainly something else from her daily routine.

Due to this change she expected to love every minute of the visit, however reality did not quite meet her fantasy. She had been stuck in the office for a couple hours now because her uncle had several formal appointments where she could not join him. Chizuru had already anticipated this when she agreed on coming along, but secretly she had hoped she could do something more interesting in the mean time. Right now she was stuck in a waiting room with an kiri ANBU next to her doing absolutely nothing apart from looking out of the window.

And yes, she had tried to make small talk with the guard. This, however, failed miserably. They were probably not allowed to talk. Or maybe the guard had no intentions on holding a conversation with a 7 year old, that was also a reasonable possibility.

When the door opened and her uncle came into view she repositioned her feet on the floor again, which resulted in her sandals making an a hollow clicking sound upon contact with the floor. A sweet smile appeared on her face as she slowly walked towards her uncle's direction.

"Chizuru, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you alone for a little while longer." he told her with an apologetic look on his face.

In response, she shaked her head slowly while hiding her disappointment "No, it's okay uncle. I understand."

She understood perfectly well that he had his priorities and right now they did not include her. In the meantime a foursome of guards had joined them in the room, which made it quite crowded.

She smiled kindly at her uncle, but before she could request to go outside the Mizukage walked inside together with a boy that was around the age of 7, just like her. Curious she cocked her head to the left. "I will give my assistants the order to look for the scrolls in my office." He told the boy.

With a couple of curious eyes Chizuru looked from the Mizukage to the young shinobi. She wondered about the content of the mentioned scrolls and why the young shinobi needed them.

From the headband he wore she could tell that he was from Konoha, the hidden village of the land of Fire, meaning he was probably on a mission to retrieve the scrolls.

"I already granted your teammates access to the library." the Mizukage he mumbled hastily.

Her uncle looked at the Mizukage and back to the young boy. His eyes finally rested on her. He flashed her a reassuring smile that said 'I know, and I will try to fix it.' He stepped closer to the Mizukage and whispered something in his ear. The Mizukage looked a bit confused and in his turn whispered something in her Uncles ear.

This went on until the Mizukage nodded understanding and turned towards the boy.

"Uchiha, was it right? While you wait for the scrolls to be retrieved, I have a small mission to keep you occupied."

The young boy looked up towards the Mizukage and nodded.

"Your job is to keep the niece of the Daimyō company and guard her until the end of the afternoon. There will be several ANBU on guard around the entire city. Just a reminder."

Her uncle nodded approvingly towards the Mizukage and glanced sternly towards the young boy. With a snap of his fingers, he signaled the guards to join them while he and the Mizukage walked off towards their next meeting.

She received a last smile from her uncle before the pair accompanied by the five guards left the room, leaving her alone with the young shinobi.

His onyx eyes met her ivory ones after the door was shut. To be perfectly honest, she was pleasantly surprised about how all of this had turned out. At least she could spend time with a shinobi and possibly take a look around the village.

Careful not to wrinkle her kimono she walked closer to the boy, who looked quite stiff and stoic. When she closed the distance, she bowed gracefully.

"Nice to meet you, I am Murakami Chizuru. May I ask what your name is?" she asked him.

His onyx eyes never left her posture while he bowed to her and answered "Uchiha Itachi. Nice to meet you." a smile appeared on her face.

Since they were formally introduced, she had hoped they could leave this waiting room as soon as possible. Although the Mizukage did not specify anything, she hoped he would share her idea of going outside.

"Have you been to Kirigakure before?"

Slowly she shaked her head. "No, I have not. This is the first time accompanying my uncle."

He nodded and quietly looked at the door.

"Uchiha-san, would you mind if we take a look outside?"

Since he asked the last question, it was more then fair she asked something in return. And she really did want to go outside.

In response, he nodded again and opened the door for her. Although her face might not have show, was absolutely delighted to see the hidden village unclose.

In a calm pace they walked in the hallways of the office, side by side without saying anything for a good 10 minutes, until he suddenly spoke.

"You can call me Itachi."

Being caught off guard she raised her eyebrows and looked at him in surprised. Luckily she returned to her usual composed self soon after.

"Itachi…"

The world lingered in the hallway. When they reached the exit and finally came into contact with a lovely fresh breeze she looked at him with a genuine warm smile.

"You can call me Chizuru."

After some walking, small droplets began falling from ever so grey the sky. While remaining composed and calm she looked left. Itachi did not seem to mind the rain, so she continued walking. It was quite peaceful, walking here next to someone her own age. It seemed strange, he spend his entire youth training for a greater purpose. To safe people, or so she assumed. And what about her? She spend her youth studying, practicing the arts. And for what goal? To become the perfect wife for someone that was high up in the politics in the Land of water. How could two futures seem so different? They were both alive, both human, the same age, and yet so different

Everything he knew she had no knowledge of and every skill she possessed he probably never bothered to think about. He probably thought it was insignificant compared to his skills.

While being deep in thought, they passed a big concrete building with some children outside. Her endless cycle of thoughts ended when she saw some children around their age running past them while playing some kind of tag game. It looked rather aggressive. Maybe this was the kind of tag shinobi played?

Her eyes lit up in curiosity while she followed the kids with her eyes. They looked like regular children, in a way they appeared carefree.

She knew the village was currently unstable, her sensei and family tried to keep her as much away from the 'serious' matters as possible, but every now and then she would listen in on the conversations held in his office, and it sounded pretty serious. Especially everything regarding the Hidden mist- or as some might call it: Village of the bloody mist.

Her gaze lingered on the children. They had a certain look in their eyes besides the playfulness. Something serious, something scary. Which can be expected from all of the stories she secretly eavesdropped upon. She wondered if it was ever going to peaceful. She wondered if these ways where the ways of the Water Country, and that she might have the same serious look in her eyes someday

She shrugged a bit while she had her eyes locked on them. She, however, flinched when one of the children had almost caught up to the other one and tried to tag him, not with his hand but with his kunai. Luckily, when he appeared to hit the other kid, he disappeared in smoke.

A small giggle escaped her mouth.

Upon realizing, her hand quickly covered her mouth while she looked away in embarrassment, hiding the faint blush on her cheeks. She could feel Itachi's gaze on her, which made it more embarrassing.

Tactfully she composed herself and then looked Itachi's way.

"This is a school, right? But for shinobi… My sensei told me about it."

When they passed the building she started thinking. Itachi was around the same age as her, so why wasn't he in the academy like the other children? She turned her head towards him and stopped walking.

"Say, I hope you do not mind me asking, but why aren't you in school right now?" she asked way to bluntly.

"I graduated this year." he said, while he shot her half a smile.

"Graduated? How old are you?" She asked curiously.

She had suspected that he was about the same age as her, but she might have been wrong... She children usually graduate from the academy at the age of 12. He certainly did not look 12 in her eyes.

He shrugged. "Seven. I graduated early."

He was a prodigy, graduated at the age of 7. Although her admiration was not very noticeable, she did think it was admirable. Graduated at the age of 7, that is quite something.

A small smile was displayed on her face when she thought of the accomplishment. When she looked at him back at him she could see a smile on his face. They looked at each smiling for no longer then a secord, but she could have sworn she saw a faint blush on his cheeks.

The small droplets from before where currently not so small anymore, in a minute the rain started pouring from the sky. In despair she looked around to search for something where they could take shelter.

Itachi, however was way faster and had already spotted something. He held out his hand. Around them the people on the streets were running and seeking shelter already. The rain was incredibly heavy and filled his open handpalm in no time with a small puddle of rain.

In the heat of the moment, she grabbed his hand without a second thought. Plashing the water around their joined hands. Together, they started running and although it seemed completely normal, she could not help but blush faintly and smile at the situation.

The run seemed to go on for ages and she was incredible relieved when they finally reached the shop. When they entered, Chizuru was panting. The run had been rather unpleasant, especially because she was wearing geta. Luckily, Itachi slowed down for her, or at least, she suspected that he did

While she caught her breath her eyes secretly glanced towards Itachi, who just stood there very casually, like they did not just run on high speed trough the rain. When she finally caught her breath, she shaked the rain off her pale purple kimono which had dark wet spots all over the shoulder and arms. Now that the rain was removed as much as possible, she could look around and figure out where Itachi had taken them.

She had to admit she was pleasantly surprised with their location, which appeared to be in a dango shop.

It made her realize that she secretly craved some sweets, especially after spending the entire morning waiting and doing nothing. She would love to eat some dango and hoped Itachi would join her. Although, Itachi did not look like someone who had a sweet tooth.

With a curious look, and sparkling ivory eyes she turned to Itachi, who shaked some rain of himself. "Would you like some dango?" she asked kindly.

* * *

 **Where Onyx meets Ivory**

His team had been send to Kirigakure for a small mission. Retrieving some scrolls about the known poisons in the area. The Hokage and Mizukage had decided on a collaboration regarding their shared knowledge about antidotes against poison. Both shinobi from Kirigakure and Konohagakure had been poisoned, and many had already died due to the unknown poison.

His teammates had been granted access to the library, where they were currently searching for scrolls. Itachi had been send to the Mizukage to retrieve the scrolls he had in his own possession. However, the Mizukage had been too busy to tend to him. In matter of fact, he was in company of the Water Daimyō, which obviously held priority.

He had been waiting in the hallway since the waiting room was closed and was being well guarded. When the Mizukage and Daimyō walked outside, the Mizukage had signaled him to walk along.

The first one to enter the waiting room was the Water Daimyō himself. Itachi immediately observed the change in his posture as the Water Daimyō opened the door. When he first spoke, the change in his tone of voice was also significant. The girlish voice that answered the Daimyō explained it all.

The guards followed by the Mizukage entered the room next, and finally Itachi entered the room last.

As he entered, he saw the owner of the girlish voice. A young girl that was about his age, dressed in a formal looking Kimono that colored slightly purple. Her long hair was extensively cared for and her demeanor looked elegant. .

The Mizukage finally spoke to him, telling he would order his assistants to look for the scrolls in his office. Itachi simply nodded upon hearing this information. This meant he could join his teammates in the library.

The Daimyō seemed to want to have a word with the Mizukage and whispered something in his ear, on which the Mizukage responded again.

After some whispering and confused looks, they finally seemed content and the Mizukage turned towards him.

"Uchiha, was it right? While you wait for the scrolls to be retrieved, I have a small mission to keep you occupied."

He looked up towards the Mizukage and nodded slowly. He wondered what kind of 'small' mission this would be, since he was a Konoha Ninja, not a kiri one.

"Your job is to keep the niece of the Daimyō company until the end of the afternoon. There will be several ANBU on guard around the entire city. Just a reminder."

The Water Daimyō gave him a stern look, and Itachi swallowed. It was a weird request, but since this mission was in the name of peace and a collaboration, he figured that it could not hurt.

Itachi nodded, and with a snap of fingers the guards, Mizukage and Water Daimyō began leaving the room. This left only him and the girl alone in the room together.

Her body language was careful and gracious. The way she neared him in the kimono and on her geta was skilful. When she stood in front of him, she bowed with the same grace as she had walked.

"Nice to meet you, I am Murakami Chizuru. May I ask what your name is?" while bowing back, his onyx eyes where locked on her posture.

"Uchiha Itachi. Nice to meet you." he said in a neutral tone.

He had been surprised with her manners up until now. She lacked the playfulness that the 7 years old in his village did seem to possess. Everyone but him, he realized that. He simply did not care for childish games. He rather trained. She seemed the same, although she might have not chosen this herself. It was probably forced on her, being the niece of the Daimyō.

He did wonder if she had been to the hidden village before, and decided to ask "Have you been to Kirigakure before?"

She shaked her head in response. Her dark hair that dangled next to her face moved gently due to the movement of her head. "No, I have not. This is the first time accompanying my uncle."

Itachi nodded in response.

The age of 7 seemed like a good age to learn more about the hidden village. It seemed disappointing though, she traveled here with her uncle to visit the hidden village and all she did up until now was sit inside while being guarded.

His dark eyes glared at the door wondering if they should go outside and if she would be allowed to.

"Uchiha-san, would you mind if we take a look outside?" she asked suddenly.

Did she just read him, or was her question fully a coincidence? It did not matter. Itachi walked towards the door, and opened it so she could walk through. After closing it, he caught up to her and took his place next to her.

The walk was silent, so silent their steps could be heard twice, due to the acoustics in the building.

"You can call me Itachi."

She was visibly caught off guard by this. In the corner of his eyes, he saw her raising her eyebrows and eyes widening. However, she composed herself rather fast, showing she was used to this. "Itachi…" She spoke. Her words softly echoed in the hallway, and lingered there for a while.

They where nearing the he would be a lot faster, but since she was wearing wooden sandals, the walk had been longer then he first anticipated. Upon reaching the exit, they where greeted with a kind breeze that brushed trough their hair.

He looked towards his side, to see her expression, to only be greeted with a genuine smile. "You can call me Chizuru." she said, while she closed her eyes and cocked her head slightly to the side while smiling. He quickly turned his head towards the other side, aware of the slowly appearing blush on his face.

It was his first time in Kirigakure, and he only knew it from this mission. They had arrived yesterday evening, and they had walked around the city a bit. He could show her the things he already knew, but his knowledge was very limited.

During their walk, small droplets fell from the sky. He noticed she turned her head to look at him as soon as the rain started falling.

He gave no response.

She was probably trying to figure out if he minded the rain, which he did not. If she minded it, he was positive she would have spoken up, so he remained silent. The silence was comfortable, it felt familiar in a way.

While walking his route, they passed the academy that was very well known for its blood thirsty ways. Currently the students seemed to have a break, and where playing tag with each other. The children that where playing tag where nearing them, and right before their eyes one failed to tag the other, since the target disappeared.

Itachi remained silent, he did not care for the game, and their skills where average. Chizuru, however, seemed to enjoy it. A giggle had escaped her mouth, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her covering her mouth in embarrassment.

His skilful eye even spotted a blush on her cheek that she tried to hide. Again, she managed to compose herself in a blink of an eye. "This is a school, right? But for shinobi… My sensei told me about it." she mentioned. Her sensei appeared to teach her about shinobi too, this he noted mentally. Although it might have seemed trivial to some, Itachi was rather curious about her education, since she seems intelligent enough, especially for her age.

He had already been surprised with her politeness, language and manners and noted she seemed different from other children their age. The ivory eyed girl was way more refined, and careful.

The playfulness had left her, and he could not help but think they seemed similar, just a tiny bit. Itachi could only guess she was raised strictly, and had a very good education. Chizuru suddenly turned towards him and stopped walking. Noticing this, he naturally also stopped. "Say, I hope you do not mind me asking, but why aren't you in school right now?" Blunt. Very blunt.

Itachi wanted to raise an eyebrow, but contained himself. "I graduated this year." He admitted. He wondered when she would ask about his education, since she seemed occupied with her own. It's only natural to mention and question the subjects closest to you.

It seemed likely she would ask more, so he prepared himself for the next question. "Graduated? How old are you?" she asked curiously.

There it was. "Seven. I graduated early." he said, while offering her a small but genuine smile. The praises of his mother and father upon his graduated where something that he kept in the back of his mind. Something that made him smile. Her reaction, however, was something that was quite rare in his opinion. She did not congratulate him, praise him, call him a wonder child or simply a prodigy. She just smiled. Not noticeably and bright, but genuine and kind. For some reason, that small gesture was worth a lot more.

The rain had been minimal, just a few small droplets. He however, already anticipated the heavy rain that would soon follow. Itachi already smelled it in the air, and his skilful eye had already searcher for the nearest places to seek shelter.

He held out his hand so she could hold on to him. The heavy rain filled his hand open hand with a peddle of water, while he looked at her intensely, waiting for her to grab his hand.

When she grabbed it, the peddle of water in his hand splashed, leaving sparkling raindrops traveling upwards around their hand, mixing with the ones falling from the sky downwards.

There where 12 possible shops they could take shelter in that they just passes, and yet when she grabbed the hand that he held out, he choose the one that was the furthest away. He predicted that the first 5 possible places that where the nearest by where already occupied and crowded with people that had a similar idea, so it would be natural he would guide her to another place that seemed less crowded.

That left 7 places. A furniture store, a weaponry, a kimono shop, a flower shop, a cafe, the kirigakure library and the dango shop. The weaponry was out of the question. The furniture store did not seem like they would want two wet kids near their furniture. The library had the same story as the furniture store, plus his teammates where occupying the library, and he did not care to elaborate them on his new day-mission.

This left them with 5 options. He was certain she would have loved the Kimono and flower shop. Judging on the high quality kimono she was wearing, and her personality. And still, out of all those options he chose the dango place.

The mist was thick, and in combination with the rain it was hard to see where they where going. He could feel her hand clenching his, afraid to let go. The mountains and bridges in Kirigakure did not make the run easier. Obviously Chizuru did not have the same stamina, and she appeared to have a hard time catching her breath.

He had already made sure he adapted to her pace while running, but maybe he could have lowered the pace even more.

Finally reaching the dango pace, he heard a relieved sigh which made him smile for a second. When she caught her breath and shaked the rain droplets of her kimono, she seemed rather pleased that he had chosen the Dango shop.

Of course, she did not realise they passed about 4 other fair possibilities along the way. Itachi himself brushed some droplets of his attire himself, while looking around the store.

His eyes flashes towards the menu for a second, especially on the Hanabi dango. His favourite.

The unknown reason why he had chosen the dango place still bothered him. He wondered if it was out of selfish desire just to eat dango, which seemed unlikely. Maybe he wanted to share the experience of eating dango, but that seemed something unlikely too. Why would he make her run further, causing inconveniences for her, just to share Dango?

Next to him, Chizuru looked at him with an rather curious sparkle in her ivory eyes. At times, it seemed like she was trying to read his mind. While looking slightly away, he moved his hand trough his bangs, to shake some of the rain out.

In the meanwhile, Chizuru had turned towards him, still with that curious glint in her eyes "Would you like some dango?" He nodded without thinking.


	2. Chapter 1: Where Onyx meets ivory Part 2

**_Hello! A Bit less than last time, but sadly I broke my elbow (I'm in despair at the moment.) Luckily mac offers the lovely dictation option. So that's how I manage._**

 ** _Also: A family portrait of Chizuru and her family is in the making. Currently still have to do the shading, but hopefully that will be fast!_**

 ** _Extra: There is going to be a huge twist after this lovevy-dovy chapter. Something that will change the story quite a bit. Hihi! Any ideas what it might be?_**

* * *

He nodded and a smile appeared on her pale face, while an lost raindrop made its way down her forehead. She closed one eye, to dodge the droplet while she covered the palm of her hand in the fabric of her kimono and brushed the droplet of her face.

With her pleased smile she looked around to see if there was a nice spot where they could sit to eat their dango. Again, Itachi seemed to beat her. As soon as he noticed that she was looking around he pointed his finger pointed to a nice corner table near the heater. When she nodded in agreement, he made his way to the table while she followed.

Sitting down, she placed her hands on her lap and looked at them. Her kimono was moist and it felt awful. The fabric was thick and heavy. The rain made it even more heavy. On top of that, the skirt had gone a little muddy. The rain had made the roads muddy, they had run right through the mud in order to come here. Her kimono had become incredibly dirty with splashes of mud everywhere.

Secretly she glanced upwards, only to lock eyes with Itachi immediately. Ivory eyes widened and looked to the side. She felt busted, although that did not make any sense at all. He was the one that looked at her first!

Confident, she tilted her head upwards again, locking eyes once again. She half expected Itachi to say something, just to break the silence. However, he did not seem to mind their awkward eye contact in the slightest. He did not smile directly, but his eyes looked amused

Their silence was finally broken when the waitress arrived at their table with two glasses of water. The woman seemed to be around 40 years old, with long black hair and a huge smile on her face.

"Such a young cute couple!" She spoke loudly while she put her hand on her knees and bend down so that they were on the same level.

Chizuru blinked a couple of times and just stared at the woman, until she finally realised her words. Her mouth opened, and before she could deny it, the woman spoke again, this time mainly to Itachi.

"Are you treating your girlfriend? I bet she was sad because of the rain."

The woman giggled and stuck out her tongue in a childish manner. Itachi had seem unfazed at first, but he was definitely getting a bit uncomfortable now. She could not help but notice that compared to the woman, Itachi seemed very grown up.

Chizuru stared at the woman, while she covered her cheeks skilfully with the sleeve of her kimono. At times like this, a kimono could save you from a very awkward situation. If the woman would see her blushing, she would only continue to go on.

The woman giggled loudly again and Chizuru could feel the eyes of the rest of the shop burning into her back. Yes, she was used to exposure, being the niece of the Water Daimyō. However, usually it was the good kind of exposure, not the embarrassing kind.

Itachi opened his mouth to say something again, but up until now the woman had interrupted them every time by saying something embarrassing. This time was no different. Just as Itachi had opened his mouth to say something, the woman came a little closer and started talking again.

"You know what? Since you are so adorable, I'll give you a free dango serving." She whispered. "But don't tell anyone, hmm?" with that she rose up again and gave them a wink.

"A-arigatou gozaimashita" she said while looking a bit flustered. The waitress just flashed them a huge smile and started heading to another table. When she seemed far away enough, she finally exhaled, not conscious of the fact she was holding her breath.

"That was very kind of her. She seemed very.. Young. She definitely did not behave as the usual adults I'm around..." She spoke softly while replying the scenario in her head.

Itachi seemed to agree, since he nodded and flashed a little smile. "I think she might be trying to enjoy their youth while she still can."

Maybe he was right. Maybe adults seemed a bit childish at times because they simply miss their youthful days. But then again, Chizuru could not imagine herself talking like this at that age. Her future did not include embarrassing children in Dango shops.

Why did the woman even think they were a couple? They were far too young for that. Isn't it stupid to presume that a boy and a girl entering a dango shop together equals them being a couple?

Honestly, she had no idea why she was so fixated on this. Normally she would have discarded an adult talking stupidly to her, but for some reason this seemed different.

In daily life she did not play with other children, she never really met with other kids apart from family gatherings and formal parties where she had to accompany her family. The fact that she had a private sensei also did not really help with connecting to other children her age.

With furrowed brows she continued to stare straight ahead. She only woke up from her continuing cycle of thoughts when she saw a hand waving in front of her face.

"Chizuru?"

She stared right into the onyx eyes of Itachi. Upon realising, her ivory ones spread wide open. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I kind of spaced off…" she said while bringing her hands together in apologising manner.

"I wouldn't have thought you where the dreamy type." curious she lowered her hands and stared at his face.

"Mm, you can tell? I usually have both feet on the ground." She stated, while flashing a big proud smile.

"But I do tend to over think at times…"

He shrugged while cocking his head a little.

"Thinking is not a bad thing. To be able to indulge yourself in a subject and over think about it displays curiosity and interest."

Chizuru smiled. That was another way to think about it.

"You are quite grown up for your age.."

Actually, she had wanted to say this since she met him, but she had contained herself. Right now, she felt like it was okay to say so. He shrugged again, without really answering her question.

"I could say the same."

She laughed a little at his response. Typical to just escape her observation by turning it back around towards her.

"I guess I never really had the chance to play."

The words lingered in the air, and felt heavy.

"There are no kids living in our compound. Just busy adults. It's usually crowded with politicians and traders. I have some private tutors specialised in different areas, so no classmates or anything like that. Our family is small, and very… strict. There is a lot of hate towards each other, regarding who will granted which position."

It felt like her thoughts exited her mouth like a speech waterfall and she half wondered if he was still interested. Curiously she paused to really look good at his face. His eyes seemed serious, there was no hint of a smile, just a small wrinkle above his eyebrows, that could not yet be called a furrow. She concluded he was interested and continued.

"Sometimes I do wish I had friends to talk to or play with. But I'm very blessed at the same time." with this she smiled.

"How many children are able to learn Calligraphy, flower arrangement, dancing and playing the shamisen?" she mused. "Sometimes I do wonder what for. Why would I need any of that in order to function as a human being?" she asked herself more than she asked Itachi.

"I think you are fortunate to be able to practice arts like that, without worrying." Itachi finally stated.

Chizuru shrugged "I'm aware of that… But hearing a Shinobi like you say that makes my life even more trivial. You safe people, you guard people."

Itachi's face turned serious with those words. However, when he wanted to speak they were interrupted by the woman from before.

With a humming sound she walked towards them with two plates of dango, and two cups of green tea.

"There you go, little love birds. Enjoy!" she chirped happily.

The woman obviously could see their tense faces, but did not seem to mind. "Maa.. I'm jealous of such a lovely pair. I wish I could find someone…" She mused while she walked away.

The woman was so strange, and for a minute she really wondered if she just fell asleep in the waiting room and all of this was one big dream. "Unreal." She stated softly.

Itachi looked at her curiously, waiting for her to elaborate her statement.

"Ah, err…The woman seems so unreal and pure, and for a minute I wondered if I just fell asleep in the waiting room." she confessed, while looking a bit embarrassed.

Quickly she shaked her hands dismissively and looked at the portion dango in front of her.

"We should eat."

Itachi nodded and picked up one of his dango. Chizuru followed and took a bite of one of the dumplings. Her eyes closed and a smile appeared on her face while eating the delicacy. Sharing food made it taste so much better.

When she looked up, Itachi was enjoying his dango equally. A modest and satisfied smile had appeared had appeared on his face while eating. Dango was clearly something he enjoyed a lot. Chizuru smiled in delight, happy that Itachi had accidentally led them to this store.

After finishing their dumplings, Chizuru looked towards Itachi with a equally satisfied smile on her porcelain face. His eyes, however, did not meet hers. The black orbs where glued on the window while looking at the rain.

Following his gaze, she stared towards the pouring rain while listening to the clattering of rain drops on the dirty ground and paved stones. It felt like a meditation. It felt like because they had seen the exact same things, heard the exact same sounds, tasted the exact same after taste of Dango on their tongs that their minds seemed linked and truly at peace, even for a small moment.

Maybe she was just being silly now. Maybe all of the flower arrangements and tea ceremonies became a bit too much for her and she actually went a bit crazy. But Kami, how she felt peace she hadn't felt in as long she could remember.

Time seemed to pass by so fast and yet so slow at the same time. It felt like minutes, just sitting there. In reality, they had been sitting there for one hour at least.

When the rain slowly seemed to end, they both looked up from the window and stared at each other.

Chizuri held up the sleeve of her Kimono in front of her face, to hide the blush that would soon appear. He seemed completely unfazed, which annoyed her a little. How could he be so incredibly composed at all times, she wondered.

"It seems we lost track of time." She said while suppressed a small giggle.

Itachi nodded slowly, while raising from his seat.

"I think we should go back, before the Water Daimyō comes back from his meeting with the Mizukage." He said slowly while walking towards her side to offer her his hand.

Curious, she looked at his hand. He had offered his hand before, during the rain. Chizuru remembered grabbing the hand without second thought while the rain splashed around them.

A smile appeared on her face just thinking of the memory. She slowly placed her small hand in his and got up from her seat.

"I think you're right.." She said softly.

Truth was, she was sad to go back into that room. It had been incredibly nice to be together with someone her own age. She did not remember the last time she smiled so many times without being obliged to. Without it being an obligation. These smiles had geen truly genuine, and she was sure she would remember it.

In a slow pass they walked back to the office. The muddy tiles where slippery, so walking slowly was the only option for her. Geta were not the easiest footwear and required one to keep their balance at all times.

She was doing rather well in this slow pass that they were walking in, until she set foot on a misplaced stone. Her body could not hold its balance anymore and due to the heavy kimono she was trapped while she started tumbling backwards.

Chiziru closed her eyes, already preparing for the hard hit she was going to take. You understand that she was incredibly surprised when the hit she imagined turned out to be a soft pair of hands, instead of the ground.

Slowly she looked up with her big ivory eyes, only to lock eyes with his Onyx ones.

"I-Itachi.." She spoke slowly.

"Aarigatou.."

Slowly he helped her upwards. As soon as she was stable on her feet, he stood next to her again.

"You're welcome. I can imagine that wearing Geta requires some balancing skills." He said with a serious face, as if comparing it to any of his skills.

Chizuru looked at him strangely. "I suppose you're right. It takes some practice." She said while nodding her head a little and looking down at her feet. She did indeed practice quite a bit to move comfortably and elegant in her Kimono and Geta. It surprised her that Itachi would even acknowledge it, for it seemed so insignificant. He probably had great balancing skills.

Curiously, she glanced at his frame as they walked. His posture was upright, she noted. His eyes scanned the area with such ease and swiftness.

A small smiled graced her pale face as she turned her eyes to look in front of her. The Office of the Mizukage was already nearing, and she felt a feeling of sadness coming over her.

Was it weird that she wanted to stay a little bit longer? She slowly shook her head as she pushed the feeling away and scolded herself to stop this nonsense. The day had been pleasant in a surprising way. Never would she have thought that she would spend her day in Kiri with someone like Itachi.

To be truly honest, she had given up all hope while sitting in that waiting room.

Slowly, Chizuru started to hum a melodious tune. She often started humming when she was consumed with thought.

A couple Onyx filled with surprise and amusement stared at her little frame as they walked on.

"That melody sounds familiar."

Chizuru looked up full of surprise, and stopped humming immediately. However, she composed herself quickly.

"My mother hums it often when she is flower arranging." She explained while smiling at the memory of her mother.

Itachi simply nodded his head.

Around the same time, they arrived at the front door of the office. The guards opened the doors for them both, and without saying more they walked the building, nearing the end of the hall, but also their time together.

Chizuru could hear the sounds of low male voices coming from the office. With a smile on her face, she walked towards the door, which was opened by one of the ANBU guards.

As soon as the door opened, her Uncle turned around to look at her.

"Chizuru. Welcome back." He said while looking her up and down, only to see her Kimono covered in dirty, wet spots.

He opened his mouth, probably to remark on how she looked, but was interrupted by the Mizukage that had turned towards Itachi.

"The scrolls have been given to your teammates and captain. I believe they are in the library readying themselves to head back to Konoha. You should join them. Thank you for completing the task I had given you. This will be remembered."

Itachi nodded at this statement. Right before the turned around to follow the instructions, he flashed her a smile. A real one. One that made her heart skip a beat. Chizuru smiled back instantly, eyes closed and cheeks rose coloured.

As he left, she could hear her uncle talking to her, bur for some strange reasons she did not hear anything he said. The only thing she could think about, was the precious smile that she had just received as a parting gift and how she would cherish it.


	3. Chapter 2: Ivory Protection

It's a bit short. But It's also a very brief happening that will explained further in the next chapter. It's a bit of a nasty situation. Any ideas? Where did she get the Kekkei Genkai? Is her mother dead? Who where the shinobi that attacked her? Andddd; what will happen?

Also: I really want to illustrate the moment she uses her Kekkei Genkai for the first time, while her mother is smiling at her and protecting her in that stance.

* * *

Gently she rubbed her eyes while looking puzzled. Loud noises where filling the normally ever so quiet compound. Slowly she let her legs slid of the bed and made effort to walk towards the window.

As she neared the window, her mother burst in into her room with a loud 'bang'.

"Chizuru! Get dressed, quickly." she screamed. With all her might, she started pulling the heavy wooden bed in front of the door.

"Chizuru! Hurry!" she screamed again.

Chizuru's eyes widened in fear. She nodded her head and ran towards her closet to grab the first thing she saw. Quickly she pulled on a light robe and looked around only to find her mother drenched in sweat pushing the bed. Finally, she seemed to have succeeded, but her mother was completely out of breath.

"Chizuru. We don't have much time." She said while breathing heavily.

"We need to get you out of here. It's not safe."

Chizuru's heart was beating in her throat as she pulled on her shoes as fast as she could.

"Okaasan.. What is going on? I'm scared"

The tears of fear were streaming down her face. Her mother turned around and locket eyes with her. Ivory met ivory. Her mother exhaled deeply, while surpressing her tears

"There is no time. Please, Chizuru. We must leave." she managed to say without her voice breaking up too much.

With furrowed eyebrows Chizuru ran toward her mother to hug her.

"No time for tears, darling. You must climb out of the window. There are people outside that will guide you."

As soon as her mother had finished the sentence, a loud explosion burst opened the bedroom door, the fire clearing everything in its way.

"Chizuru!"

Chizuru held up her hands in front of her eyes to protect them from the emerging fire. This, however, was not the only treat. With the fire came another danger. Shinobi. Not only from their own Water country, but also from Iwagakure. Before she could run, they started attacking. Kunai, Shuriken and flew all around the room with incredible speed with as target her.

Chizuru pressed her eyes closed while ducking towards the ground to protect herself. She was sure, that this would be the end of her. She prepared to feel pain, to be inpailed by one of the many Kunai and Shuriken that where flying her way.

The sounds of the weapons hitting the wooden floorboard stone walls and a loud scream filled her ears. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with the red light and heat of the fire in front of her together with a puddle of blood that now covered the floor. Slowly Chizuru looked up to see where the blood came from, only to witness her mother standing there. The silk white kimono she wore was complete in blood. She looked like an angel in white, arms widely spread with fire emerging from behind her.

"Chi..zu…ru…"

Her white guardian angel dropped on her knees in front of her, still protecting her from the incoming danger. The sleeves of the kimono her mother was wearing looked like big white wings, which surrounded Chizuru's small frame. The blood that flood from the wounds slowly dripped on her head and continued it's way down her porcelain face only to merge together with the puddle of red liquid on the floor.

Chizuru let out a sob as her mothers hand slowly reached her cheek while smiling at her. "I love you…" Tears where streaming from Chizuru's eyes, mixing with the blood that was already dripping down her face.

"GET HER!" She heard in the distance. "Just kill the mother already, we don't need her alive!" The voices sounded so dulled. As if she was currently inside a huge water bulb. Everything seemed so surreal and uncanny.

Two shinobi followed up the order. One came running towards them with a katana in his hand, the other one was making hand signs to prepare for a jutsu.

Something snapped. She snapped.

For a small moment there was an immense focus inside her body. Everything was balanced, as if her fear had turned into clarity.

Her entire spinal cord, shoulder bone, elbow joints and ribcage mutated and grew to surround them with a skeleton of spiky bones. The protective shield pierced the two charging shinobi in the process.

With teary eyes she looked at her mother, who held a smile on her face. "I-I'm s-so proud o..-of y..ou…" she spoke while coughing up a little blood. "L-l-leave me, Chi..zu..ru.." With her final strength she moved her head towards that of Chizuru, to give her forehead a last kiss.

With tears glistering, Chizuru looked up towards the enemies that where very verbally pondering how they should take her alive now she had awakened her inherited Kekkei Genki Shikotsumyaku.

Clumsily the bones merged with her body again, and a soon as she was 'free' from her own bone structure, she leaped out of the window. The tears that dripped from her face glistered in the moonlight, and left a trail of despair and sadness behind.

Her leap might have looked impressive, in reality she had known her fall would probably be broken by one of the many ujingak(curved) roofs. She had looked out of that window her entire life, and she knew exactly where the roof began and where it would end.

Like she predicted, her fall was broken by the roof. It hurt more than she had hoped. Gritting her teeth by the stinging pain in her back, she automatically slid from the curved roof onto the sunoko (porch or veranda). One of the planks broke due to the impact and cut open her leg. With a pained face, Chizuru began to run. Run as she had never done before. All of her training to be elegant, charming and graceful disappeared from her mind. She had to survive.

She could hear Shinobi from inside the compound. Her mind raced and her thought where chaotic. She inhaled and exhaled frantically in her panicked state. Where could she go?! She had no idea which parts where safe. Where was her dad and where were the servants? In a fraction of a moment, she remembered that his was her home. She knew every little corridor, every wing, every bridge.

Quickly, she changed her course to move towards the wings of the three main compartments of the house. The Rô where long hallways, that led towards open pavilions. Nobody even went there, and the abandoned Tsuridono where only used in the heat of the summer, and for moon viewing.

Her mother had said that there where people waiting for her. The only place she could think of that being where the Pavilions. It was their special place. It had to be there.

She ran, and ran without looking back. Her leg hurt, and she was well aware she was leaving a trail of blood. But she was too afraid to look back. Too afraid to see the rampage that once was her home. The explosion had already done so much damage and she feared for the worst.

When she finally arrived at the Tsuridono she could see someone at the front door signalling towards her. It was too dark to see who this figure could be, and she hesitate for a moment. Quickly, she shaked her head. She had no other options. It was this or dying. She moved towards the figure while keeping in mind that he could also possible be one of the enemy.

Coming closer, she could finally see the face of the figure. Relief came over her. It was one of the servants. To be specific, it was Nakayama seinsei, her language sensei"Lady Chizuru. Please follow us, your mother instructed us to lead you through the tunnels under the lake."

"Us?" she said softly, while being hurried inside by him.

"Yes, Uchiyama Taichi will be guiding you towards the tunnels."

Chizuru nodded again. Slowly she turned her head before the door closed. The house was completely destroyed. There where walls of mud and stone that separated compounds, there where fires still blazing their heat. Quickly, she turned her head away from the sight and rushed towards the panel in the floor, that had recently be covered by a huge closet with telescopes inside.

She swallowed hard and finally stepped on the stair that led her underneath of the lake. When she did not hear Nakayama sensei joining, she looked up.

"Sensei?" He shaked his head in response. "I'm not coming along, Chizuru. Somebody has to cover the door again. I could never forgive myself if anything happend to you. I promised your mother."

With pained eyes she nodded, blinking another tear away. "Domo A-arigato.." she said softly. With a loud tud, the door closed. She was consumed by darkness, but there was one small twinkling light in the void ahead of her. Taichi. Her legs were at its limit, they hurt so much. As did the rest of her body. With her frail frame, she made her way towards the light.

Finally reaching it, she was welcomed by two arms that hugged her. "Are you allright, Lady Chizuru?" She almost cried. She wanted to cry. She wanted to cry and never stop, just to drown in her own tears.

With a deep exhale she nodded. "I-I hurt my leg on the way." she said while pulling up her cloak and reviling the open would on her leg that was leaking blood.

Taichi crouched down slowly "Get on my back, Lady Chizuru." She nodded her head, and tried to force a smile to show gratitude.

With some effort and pain, she finally situated herself on his back. She imagined him to walk on, but he ran. He ran incredibly fast, shinobi like fast.

"W-wow… A-are you..?"

"Yes. Your mother employed me because she feared they would come after you, Lady Chizuru."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Who? And why? What.."

"Rest now, Lady Chizuru. Clarity will soon follow. For now, please rest."


	4. Chapter 3: The journey

Her ivory eyes peeped through the cracks of the wooden box she was currently stuffed in.

The box was located on a cargo ship among several others that served as a disguise. The Shinobi accompanying her had disguised themselves as workers and guards, pretending to be loading and unloading the boxes that contained fragile earthwork. In reality, they were keeping an eye on Chizuru until they reached yet another location with escorts waiting to guide her to the safehouse.

"W-where are we?" she asked in a whisper when one of the shinobi in disguised passed.

Casually, he cracked his neck and bend down to adjust his slippers "Another couple hours left before we reach the harbour. Patience, Lady Chizuru." he exclaimed softly

She nodded and remained silent.

After a little bit more of fake tweaking of his footwear, the shinobi rose again and continued his round in the storage.

They had been on the move for about four days now, passing from harbour to harbour. Every time loading and unloading another shipment of cargo to maintain their alias. Every day, she could get out of the crate for just a few minutes to quickly shove food inside her mouth and go to the bathroom. For this, she felt blessed.

However, at this point, she had no idea who or where she was. Nobody was at liberty to tell her, and Taichi was usually no where to be seen. She felt lost. Everything she knew fell apart four days ago and would never return to normal again. Not even close to normal.

Just when she wanted to move in another positions, she could hear footsteps nearing. Chizuru swallowed nervously. She had to be careful. The crew of the ship was not entirely filled with just shinobi, and everyone around the country was looking for her. One wrong move, and she would possible be abducted. Taken hostage. Even killed. Probably killed.

One of the men decided to smoke a cigaret, and hopped carefree on top of the wooden crate next to the one she was inside off.

Her hands automatically covered her mouth, making sure she would not utter one single tiny sound.

"Oi, Haru! I still can't believe it." he yelled loudly while lighting the cigaret that now rested on his lips.

The other man, probably the one named Haru laughed bitterly. "The bitch almost got away with it, didn't she?"

Another man joined them. "Almost. I heard she was found in tiny, tiny pieces, and that they fed her to the dogs!" he exclaimed.

Chizuru swallowed hard while holding back her fear. Her tears. Her anger. They were talking about her mother. The mother that had protected her. Died for her. Her guardian angel.

The first man, smoking the cigaret laughed while inhaling yet another dosis of nicotine. "I wonder if the Daimyo knew. Wasn't he the one ordering the kill? Or was it the husband? Lord Murakami?"

"No clue. There is a huge bounty on the little girl though."

A loud sigh was to be hear. "Ufff. I wish I was the one to find her."

"You'd probably be killed on the spot after handing her over, they're corrupt like that."

She swallowed. Hard. Memories of that horrid night flooded her mind. The fear. The explosions. The blood.

She had been abandoned. Abandoned by her own father. Backstabbed.

"He's not your real father." a tiny voice in her mind hummed.

That's right.

The man she thought was her father had even given the order of execution.

Her real father had been executed himself before she was even born. Her mother had been married off to the highest ranking government official when she was pregnant, to cover it up.

They almost succeeded.

Almost.

Jealous enemies of her grandfather had been digging into the family and had found some old love notes that her mother had kept. Needless to say they got what they were looking for, and more. While looking for a piece of dirt to stir things up, they had found enough to actually cause a slaughter.

A tear rolled down her tiny hands and dropped on the hard surface of the box.

Bitterly she stared ahead. The men had left. She had zoned out. Flash backs filled her mind, transporting her into a realm of horrid thoughts and memories.

The reason why the feudal lords, and her 'dad' wanted her killed was because of her father. Apparently he was not just a random peasant her mother had fallen in love with. No. He was a member of the Kaguya clan, that was now extinct due to them being killed off in a battle they could never have won. On top of that, he was the owner of a very well known kekkei genkai. One that she inherited.

And so, she was on the run. On the run for her life. The bounty on her head was large enough to make an enemy out of the sweetest little geezer. However, somehow her mother still had string to pull. Even after she died.

Nakayama Sensei had saved her life, together with Uchiyama Taichi, whom had turned out to have been a close friend of her mother. All this time he had been watching out for her from the shadows, witnessing her clumsiness on her first pair of Geta. Every time she fell down. Every bad note while practicing her music, every ink stain on her paper. Every birthday cake she got.

Taichi and his allies had secured transportations for her, and a handful of Kirigakure ANBU that remained loyal to her mother were waiting at the next dock to escort her to a safe place. Or so she was told.

Chizuru lowered her hands and took a deep breath.

Her life had changed. Everything she knew was worthless now.

Somehow, her mind fluttered towards the memory of a dark-haired shinobi that she met a year ago.

A ever so tiny smile graced her face.

Itachi.

She leaned the back of her head against the hard wood and closed her eyes.

The memory of how he was calculative, assertive and of his skill had stayed with her. Every now and then he seemed to creep back into her thoughts. Usually during classes such as calligraphy.

"I think you are fortunate to be able to practice arts like that, without worrying"

His words echoed in her mind on days like that. It always made her smile.

She indeed had been lucky. Her days had looked so trivial in comparison to his.

"How life changes, ne Itachi?" she whispered to herself.

She remembered how they ran together in the rain, and how his hand has clasped onto hers. How her kimono was dirty with mud, and how they had eaten dango together.

"I wonder where you are now… " she mused softly as a wave of tiredness suddenly fell over her and drifted her into a gentle slumber.

* * *

She woke up from a sharp pain in her back. They were unloading the cargo. Meaning, unloading the boxes. Meaning, the box she was in!

Her tiny body was being moved from one side to the other, and every time a part of her body came into contact with the hard surface. She gritted her teeth, holding back a yelp while enduring the movement.

Just when her body was about to give in, the box was being opened.

Light, a fresh breeze and the smell of the sea greeted her as she stood up from the tiny box.

Her legs were wobbly and weak so she had to adjust for a moment. When fully adjusted, she stepped out of the wooden crate onto the muddy earth.

In front of her stood five Shinobi and Taichi.

In just a second, six other people dressed in black and grey with white masks appeared.

With large eyes she stood there in awe.

One of the ninja had simply appeared out of steam. Another one had appeared out of literally thin air. Three had come jumping from hiding places. And last but not least, one had used sand to camouflage himself.

"Lady Chizuru. We will now hand you over to the Kirigakure ANBU." Taichi explained while walking towards her with a kind smile.

She had stood there completely frozen without saying anything. When visiting her grandad she had heard of the ANBU. However, she had never seen them. Her experience with ninja was limited to her talk with Itachi and the compound guards or escorts she had had over the years, whom never spoke to her.

Silently she nodded and stepped forward a bit.

Taichi patted her head. "You did well. Just hang on for a little bit longer. We're almost there."

Chizuru nodded at him, while staring at his face. His smile looked so kind, however his eyes seemed sad. She wondered why. Was it because of her mother, or because he had barely slept in the past few days.

Taichi turned around and made a few hand signals. After, he walked towards the five Shinobi that had accompanied them on their travels across the sea and send them off.

While Taichi was seeing the shinobi off, the ANBU were busying themselves with some unknown things. They seemed to make hand signals like Taichi just did, and one of them touched the floor as if to feel something.

"You'll be on my back, like last time." He explained.

Chizuru looked up in confusion. She had been too fascinated by the display of unknown techniques before her to notice that Taichi had turned his attention to her.

"Hai" she said softly.

"Asagao. We will need your sensory skills in the front. Ajisai and Kiku will follow behind you. Ume, Saboten will be positioned on the left and right side of Chizuru and me. Kigiku, you'll be trailing behind us, checking the barrier and covering up."

With that said, the ANBU disappeared as fast as they came. Chizuru assumed they took their positions.

Taichi smiled at her again and lowered his body for her to hop on yet another time.

* * *

Upon arrival, the ANBU made sure everything was safe before she entered he humble compound. It was a simple house, with a porch and a little puddle of water alongside the garden.

With small steps she had inspected the house.

It all seemed surreal. Her house was gone. The compound where she had spend her childhood had gone up in flames. She was a wanted person and hunted across the country. All of this in four days.

She stared out of the window towards the woods that surrounded the place.

Taichi had explained to her that they would have to conceal her identity and train her so that she would be able to protect herself. He had been honest by saying the future was unknown, and that nobody was to be trusted.

At this moment the daimyo was fighting his own political battles, and the land was un uproar by the slaughter that had happend in the compound. Uncertainty surrounded her existence. Nothing was sure anymore.

She also came to discover that the ANBU currently protecting her were send by her uncle. Meaning that he had known about the secret and still wished to protect her.

A spark of hope warmed her heart at the thought of her uncle, followed by a stinging fear.

It was very well possible that he would be held responsible if someone found out that he known, and protected her all along.

With a loud 'tud' she had positioned herself on the floor, where after a while she layed spread out while looking at the ceiling.

This was her life now.

"I guess I'll have to become a shinobi. Ne, Itachi?" She mused softly.


End file.
